A Late Night Talk
by Kristen3
Summary: Cory sits up with newborn Riley and reminisces about his years with Shawn and Topanga. Fluffy one-shot. :) Obviously BMW/GMW.


**Author's Note: **OK, so we all know about _Girl Meets World _by now. Even though it hasn't aired yet, I keep wondering what kind of dad Cory will be. It was pretty much inevitable that I'd end up writing something about him and Riley sooner or later. I know there's also going to be a son in the show, but I decided to ignore that detail for now. This story is just a bit of fluff, but the idea has been bugging me, so it just needed to be done. I doubt anyone will mind!

Cory walked from room to room in the small New York apartment he and Topanga had been living in for the past few months. It was still strange to think that his parents and Mr. Feeny, as well as Morgan and Joshua, were all in Pennsylvania. He missed home, of course. But right now, he wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world. Not when he held his brand-new baby daughter in his arms. He and Topanga were both new at this whole parenting thing. Cory thought of his own parents, and how they had managed to raise three (now four) children. He could barely fathom the idea of raising little Riley, let alone any other children.

Riley had the most beautiful eyes. They reminded him a bit of Topanga's. Photographs hung all over he apartment. Many of them preserved special moments from his years growing up with Shawn and Topanga. It had always been the three of them, together. Looking at the pictures, Cory was flooded with memories. The time he'd tried to straighten his hair, and everyone laughed, except for Topanga. Back then, she had been the strangest person Cory had ever met. What other eleven-year-old would speak of things like "spiritual guidance" or "inner peace"? Certainly not Cory. He had been far too interested in baseball and water-gun fights.

But, slowly, he and Topanga had grown up, and they'd become more alike as time went on. Topanga began acting less like a hippie, and more like a regular teenager. "Riley, your mom is the smartest girl I ever knew," Cory whispered, as he looked at a picture taken at their graduation ceremony from John Adams. He knew he'd never forget that moment, because, just after the diplomas had been handed out, Topanga had stunned him by proposing. That certainly hadn't gone over well with their parents. "None of that matters anymore," Cory said out loud. "We're here, we're married, and we've got you now." Because they were young, and still in school, money would be tight, and their lives were going to get even more difficult than they had been before Topanga became pregnant. Sure, it would be stressful for both of them. But looking at Riley made everything worth it.

The baby began crying, and Cory knew that Riley possessed quite a set of lungs. Topanga was dead tired, so Cory had offered to take care of her for a while. "Sh," he whispered. "Your mom's tired, so you'll just have to make do with me for now." It was no wonder his wife as exhausted. All of her life, Topanga Lawrence had been a perfectionist. She had gone ballistic in high school when she nearly lost the title of Valedictorian to Minkus. And those same tendencies had carried over into motherhood. She'd read countless books on parenting. "I know your mom seems like she's a little nuts now, but it's only because she loves you so much, and she wants to be the perfect mom. She'll calm down." But then Cory thought for a moment. When Topanga got her mind set on something, she didn't often let go. "Well, she probably won't calm down," Cory amended. "But you'll get used to her."

Cory's eyes fell on another photograph. One of him and Shawn. "I hope, someday, you have a friend like Shawnie." Cory smiled as he recalled their years together. They had been through everything. Including things like blowing up a mailbox and drinking while underage. "Um, on second thought, I hope you _don't _have a friend like Shawn. Or at least, if you do, never tell me about it. And then, of course, there's your Uncle Eric. He loves you, that's for sure," Cory said to his daughter. Eric had been so excited about the arrival of his new niece or nephew that he'd bought out almost an entire toy store months before Riley was even born.

Family had always been important to Cory. That had been the one difference between him and his two best friends. He was the only one who had two parents around. More than once, Cory's parents had found themselves looking after either Shawn or Topanga for one reason or another. But Amy and Alan Matthews had never complained. It was all just another part of the journey of raising their kids. Cory prayed he would one day learn how to be even half the father he'd had.

And then, there was Feeny. At times, it had seemed as if he, Shawn, and Topanga would never get out of his class. He wouldn't have even been surprised if Feeny followed them all he way from Philadelphia. Cory picked up the card they'd received in the mail the other day. It was one of those generic ones, where you could write your own message inside. _Dear Mr. and Mrs. Matthews, Congratulations on the new arrival. I trust that you two will be fine parents to little Riley. Best Wishes, George Feeny_. "He even fills out a greeting card like he's grading an essay," Cory muttered in disbelief. But there was no denying the ways his neighbor and social studies teacher had changed his life.

When it came time to decide on a career, it hadn't taken Cory long to decide. After having spent countless hours learning from Mr. Feeny, Cory knew he wanted to do the same to a new generation of middle-school students. He was still a few years away from having a class of his own, but he couldn't wait to get there.

Somehow, during all of Cory's reminiscing, little Riley had fallen right back to sleep. She lay there, breathing slowly, in her father's arms. Could there ever be a more beautiful sight? Cory doubted it. Falling in love with his daughter all over again, he carried her over to the sofa. It was small, and hardly comfortable, but it was all they'd been able to afford. As he sat down, Cory realized just how tired he was. He kissed Riley's forehead, and then leaned back. Before he knew it, he too, was sound asleep. As he drifted off, he remembered the girl he'd fallen in love with so long ago. He hoped Riley would one day be just as beautiful and special as her mother.

**The End**


End file.
